Day: January 17, 2011

Spams=Scams=CyberCriminals

Leave a comment

Word or warning, I do ramble. I’m also a noob here on Complaints Board. So.. In I Come With a Bang.

I’ve been dealing with spammers for years. I know I playing “Don Quixote” and tilting at windmills now, but I still do it for fun. (spammers forced me to learn “net things” like WHOIS, DNS, traceroute, IP tracking and routing, SWIPed IPs, and lots more).
I’m a member of CAUCE (use your G00gleFu <g>)and other organizations. I’ve even helped draft laws and regulations in WA…, and I’ve had many retaliations from spammers, :ie mailbombs forged subscribes pingfloods…
Some of the virttual “trophy heads on the wall” (always shared) are Spamford Wallace, Mike Kieger, “AlRal” Ralsky, and about 400 more (not counting “419” email addresses by the thousands)
So much for my creds and brags…
Most spam is scams. (and spam itself is 95+% of all email now)

Most (at least from what I see on my 10+ email accounts and the 5+ accounts I manage for family and friends) are “419s”/Nigerian scams/Dying Widow Will/”You Have Won”/”Need Agent In Your Country” and all those “advanced fee frauds” mainly).

Next in line are the Canadian Pharmacy/PenisPillz/Cheap Software type (Bing/Goog/etc search “PARTNERKA””, this and the “Russian spam Gangs” are the main source of these. Fake pills, no merchandise, ID theft, bank fraud, phishing .. real bad crap!

Then comes the “Make Money At Home”/”Instant Money Off Internet Marketing”/”Affiliate” spam. There are a few of these that are real businesses but even those have to bend laws or good business practices. Most of those are pyramid scams. Two good tip-offs”: the word “Affiliate” and the “3 foot Website” (scroll down ‘forever’ or until your scrolling finger gets numb). The “Affiliate” is either a victim or a willing participant in the scam/top levels of the pyramid.
Many of them even give you details on *how to spam*

Next in line is spam for some business that fell for a spammet’s tricks: either they paid for having it done and spammy provided “a list of prole who have “opted-in” to receive “targeted” (false!) emails, or sold them athe same list and some “ratware” to do the spamming themselves. it’s a n00bie problem. They had no idea what they got themselves into.. see “Aurora Nissan” (http://preview.tinyurl.com/Aurora-Nissan-spam) PS.. I was packing a sign there.

Last comes what’s called “Mainsleaze” spam, a reasonably-known company like Kraft’s “Gevailia” division (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gevalia) that wantonly and knowing spams.

spam isn’t “email I don’t want”. That’s part of it, but the best short description is “Consent”. If you gave your consent, it ain’t spam. However, if they sold/gave your email address away to some other entity who then sends you email.

Also, the spam concept isn’t just email.
“Street Spam” (those who shove signstakes in all over the place, “handbills” and signs on utility poles, buildings, et al.
“Comment/Blog/Forum spam” ( ads posted in places like this one)
“Spim” (done via texting, instant messaging, chat, or digital pager bombing: this is actually what it’s called )
(and more)

What this long (and rambling) post is for:

1) passing on spam tips
2) exposing scammers’ URLs (web addresses)
3) documenting the “Mainsleaze” companies so that you can (if desired) boycott them (and preferably why)
4) scams in general that you find on the Internet.
5) how to tune up your ‘bullshit detector” for scams.

It would be nice if CB’s honchos would would create some new topic(s) on this line.

I’ll even throw you a couple of my valid (and valid) email addresses.
usenetharvested (at) aol (dot) com.ode Remove and replace as needed to make it valid.(this is called “mungeing”)
ube_never@yahoo.com (plain and real, I can deal with spam resulting from email harvesting )

H A N D.
I’ll S T F U now…

Advertisement

MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE

2 Comments

The Purpose of This Post Is To ALERT You That The Job You Are About To APPLY For or May Have Applied For or is CONSIDERING APPLYING For Is Scam Alert 1Fraudulent. A LEGITIMATE COMPANY IDENTITY OR AN INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY HAS BEEN STOLEN OR A BOGUS ONE CREATED

These job postings are an attempt to lure you into cashing counterfeit checks and have you wire funds via Western Union or MoneyGram -Essentially You Become A Money or RePackage Mule

Understanding The Cyber Theft Ring
Money Mule Explained

Washingtonpost.com by Brian Kerbs


Interview With A Money Mule

Kristin M.
Title:SHOPPER NEEDED
Description: Send your reply back to :

Hello,
i am here to offer you part time job , your job is a mystery would begin as soon as we approved you as one of our secret shopper and in this would result to us providing you with more informations .

PAYMENT TERMS:
Your payment would be sent weekly , Also the company is in charge of
providing you with all expense money for the shopping and other
expenses involved in the assignment . All you need would be provided
to you with details every week you have an assignment.

JOB DESCRIPTION :

1} When an assignment is given to you , You would be provided details
to execute the assignment.
2} You would be asked to visit a company or store mostly our
competitors as a secret shopper and shop with them to know more about their sales and stock , cost sales and more details as provided by the company then report back to the company with report . But anything you buy at the shop belongs to you . All we want is an effective/quick job and reports.

ASSIGNMENT PACKET :

Before any assignment we would provide you with the resources needed
{cash}, Cashier Check or Money Order, Mostly our company send check
which you can cash and use for the assignment. Included to the check
would be your assignment packet . Then we would be providing you
details on here. But you follow every single information given to you
as a secret shopper .
You can earn more which involves nothing more than shopping at a
number of selected retailers and assessing their customer service and
reporting back . So i want you to get back to me with confirmation of
your interest and commitment in working with us ,Mostly we need you
phone number for contact.

Kindly provide the below informations for asessment and registration
of the company :

Full contact name :
Contact Address :
City, State and Zipcode :
Age :
Marital Status :
Nationality :
Contact phone :
Current Occupation :
E-:

We will be looking forward to hear from you soonest.

Gerrald Majewski
Investigating Regional Manager.
Staffing and Recruiting Dept,
MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE.

CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Location:New York, New York 10007
Rate:$300 / Week – $900 / Week
Date

Job Start Date:Sun. Jan. 30th 2011
Expiration Date:Sun. Jan. 30th 2011
Details

SHOPPER NEEDED
Seniorcare.Sittercity.com – New York, NY
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 10:39 AM – save job, email, block, more…

SHOPPER NEEDED
Housekeepers.Sittercity.com – New York, NY
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 10:39 AM – save job, email, block, more…

SHOPPER NEEDED
Tutors.Sittercity.com – New York, NY
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 10:39 AM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Tutors.Sittercity.com – Austin, TX
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Seniorcare.Sittercity.com – Austin, TX
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Housekeepers.Sittercity.com – Austin, TX
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Tutors.Sittercity.com – Long Beach, CA
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Housekeepers.Sittercity.com – Long Beach, CA
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Seniorcare.Sittercity.com – Long Beach, CA
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Seniorcare.Sittercity.com – Bethel Springs, TN
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Housekeepers.Sittercity.com – Bethel Springs, TN
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Tutors.Sittercity.com – Bethel Springs, TN
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 4:48 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Housekeepers.Sittercity.com – Atlanta, GA
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 11:08 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Tutors.Sittercity.com – Atlanta, GA
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 11:08 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Seniorcare.Sittercity.com – Atlanta, GA
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 11:08 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Seniorcare.Sittercity.com – Avon, CT
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 11:08 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Housekeepers.Sittercity.com – Avon, CT
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 11:08 PM – save job, email, block, more…

MYSTERY SHOPPER NEEDED
Tutors.Sittercity.com – Avon, CT
to you as a secret shopper . You can earn more… MYSTERY SHOPPER SECRET SERVICE. CONTACT US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. Copyright © Mystery Shoppers, Inc…
From Sittercity – 11:08 PM – save job, email, block, more…

Protect Yourself on Facebook

1 Comment
BY LEN HARTNETT
Posted: 01/16/2011 04:09:45 AM PST

In her column (“Raising the bar on comments,” Jan. 9), Reporter Managing Editor Robin Miller announced the termination of Topix and the switch to Facebook. It does not impact me, since I had not contributed to Topix and have no intention of signing up for Facebook.
Many acquaintances and family members have asked me to be their friends on Facebook or to join other social networks. My answer, in part, is always the same: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Much of the news related to these sites, and particularly Facebook recently, reveals that they are a target area for scammers, predators and other dishonest types who troll the Internet looking for victims.

An article in the Sacramento Bee (“Facebook ‘friends’ — or cyber crooks?” Dec. 30), notes that the cyber criminals on Facebook today come cloaked as real friends sending messages asking you to wire them money in a foreign country or posting a note on your wall with a funny video that’s really a dangerous link. They lure victims many ways, such as offering fake gift cards or a chance to win gadgets simply by clicking on a link or that oh-so-common Facebook “like” button.

As a warning to young and old alike, who may be gullible or are not aware of the dangers, here are some recommendations from Kim Komando, radio talk show host and author about all things computer, for what you should never say on Facebook:

* Date of birth or full name. With that information, it is possible to reconstruct your Social Securitynumber. If you post your birth date, leave off the year.
* Your mother’s maiden name. Many bank security systems use that as a “secret” answer. It’s availability can create a criminal chain reaction.

* Your home address — especially if you are going to tell people that you are going on vacation or a trip. Talk about it after you get back — or your house may be empty when you return.

* Pictures of your children. Identity thieves target children all the time. If you do post their pictures, don’t tag the photo with their full name(s). Without the name, identification crooks have a harder time.

* Anything showing misbehavior. Employers have withdrawn job offers or fired employees based upon inappropriate behavior found online. Don’t post text or photos of dangerous activities. Insurance companies have been known to troll Facebook looking for a reason to raise your premiums. The IRS can be on the lookout for tax cheats.

Anything that is digital and on your computer or handheld could eventually end up out in cyberspace being viewed by people who do not have your best interests at heart. What you put online is there forever, including Facebook posts. Even if you delete it, it can still show up somewhere else online.

Know who you are communicating with and be extremely careful about what you are talking about. Forewarned is forearmed.

We already have free, or relatively free, sources of communication: e-mail, snail mail, telephone and, most gratifying of all — face-to-face conversation. At my age, those are all that I have the time and inclination to handle.

——